Differences in Healthcare Resource Use and Cost by Pharmacotherapy Among Patients with Symptomatic Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Real-World Analysis of Claims Data.

Background: For symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM), limited evidence exists on healthcare resource utilization (HRU) and cost for patients with symptomatic oHCM by treatment categories. We evaluated whether HRU and costs vary by initial treatment in symptomatic oHCM.

Methods: This is a retrospective study of medical and pharmacy claims from 2016 to 2021 to identify (per International Classification of Disease Tenth Revision diagnosis codes) adult patients in the USA with symptomatic oHCM.

An evidence review and gap analysis for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Background: Patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM) have a substantial humanistic, clinical, and economic burden due to the array of symptoms and complications associated with the disease. The objective of this review was to identify key evidence gaps related to oHCM, specifically in Europe, North America, and Japan.

Methods: A targeted literature review was conducted using PubMed to identify English-language studies published between 2012 and 2022 assessing patients with HCM/oHCM in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom (UK), the United States (US), Canada, and Japan.

The prognostic value of peak oxygen uptake in obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a literature review to inform economic model development.

Aims: Patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM) experience significant clinical burden which is associated with a high economic burden. Peak oxygen uptake (pVO2), measured by cardiopulmonary exercise testing, is used to quantify functional capacity, and has been studied as a primary endpoint in recent clinical trials. This study aimed to gather evidence to consolidate the prognostic value of pVO2 in oHCM and to assess whether it is feasible to predict health outcomes in an economic model based on changes in pVO2.

Disease severity predicts higher healthcare costs among hospitalized nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NAFLD/NASH) patients in Spain.

The rising prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) presents many public health challenges, including a substantial impact on healthcare resource utilization and costs. There are important regional differences in the burden of NAFLD/NASH, and Spain-specific data are lacking. This retrospective, observational study examined the impact of liver disease severity, comorbidities, and demographics on healthcare resource utilization and costs in Spain.

Hospitalization costs and risk of mortality in adults with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis: Analysis of a French national hospital database.

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has reached high prevalence, paralleling the obesity pandemic. The aggressive form of the disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), is characterized by fatty infiltration and inflammation of the liver, can progress to compensated cirrhosis (CC) and end-stage liver disease (ESLD: decompensated cirrhosis [DCC] and hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC]), and may ultimately require liver transplantation (LT). Real-world data on the burden of NAFLD/NASH are limited.

Healthcare resource utilization and costs of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis patients with advanced liver disease in Italy.

Background And Aims: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) may progress to advanced liver disease (AdvLD). This study characterized comorbidities, healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and associated costs among hospitalized patients with AdvLD due to NASH in Italy.

Methods And Results: Adult nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)/NASH patients from 2011 to 2017 were identified from administrative databases of Italian local health units using ICD-9-CM codes.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease progression rates to cirrhosis and progression of cirrhosis to decompensation and mortality: a real world analysis of Medicare data.

Background: Risk factors and timing associated with disease progression and mortality in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are poorly understood.

Aims: To evaluate the impact of disease severity, demographics and comorbidities on risk of mortality and time to progression in a large, real-world cohort of diagnosed NAFLD patients.

Methods: Claims data from a 20% Medicare representative sample between 2007 and 2015 were analysed retrospectively.

Idelalisib addition has neutral to beneficial effects on quality of life in bendamustine/rituximab-treated patients: results of a phase 3, randomized, controlled trial.

Background: In a phase 3 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, treatment with idelalisib, a phosphoinositol-3 kinase δ inhibitor, + bendamustine/rituximab improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in adult patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (R/R CLL). Here we report the results of health-related quality of life (HRQL) analyses from this study.

Methods: From June 15, 2012 to August 21, 2014, 416 patients with R/R CLL were enrolled; 207 patients were randomized to the idelalisib arm and 209 to the placebo arm.

Comorbidities Among US Patients With Prevalent HIV Infection-A Trend Analysis.

Objective: Quantify proportion of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients with specific comorbidities receiving healthcare coverage from commercial, Medicaid, and Medicare payers.

Methods: Data from MarketScan research databases were used to select adult HIV-infected patients from each payer. Treated HIV-infected patients were matched to HIV-negative controls.

Patient-Reported Symptoms over 48 Weeks in a Randomized, Open-Label, Phase 3b Non-inferiority Trial of Adults with HIV Switching to Coformulated Elvitegravir, Cobicistat, Emtricitabine, and Tenofovir DF Versus Continuation of Ritonavir-Boosted Protease Inhibitor with Emtricitabine and Tenofovir DF.

Background: Coformulated elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (EVG/COBI/FTC/TDF; Stribild(®)) is a recommended integrase inhibitor-based regimen in treatment guidelines from the US Department of Health and Human Services and the British HIV Association. The purpose of this analysis was to determine the change in patient-reported symptoms over time among HIV-infected adults who switch to Stribild(®) versus those continuing on a protease inhibitor (PI) with FTC/TDF.

Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted on the STRATEGY-PI study (GS-US-236-0115, ClinicalTrials.

Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion rates among US chronic dialysis patients during changes to Medicare end-stage renal disease (ESRD) reimbursement systems and erythropoiesis stimulating agent (ESA) labels.

Background: Several major ESRD-related regulatory and reimbursement changes were introduced in the United States in 2011. In several large, national datasets, these changes have been associated with decreases in erythropoiesis stimulating agent (ESA) utilization and hemoglobin concentrations in the ESRD population, as well as an increase in the use of red blood cell (RBC) transfusions in this population. Our objective was to examine the use of RBC transfusion before and after the regulatory and reimbursement changes implemented in 2011 in a prevalent population of chronic dialysis patients in a large national claims database.

Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agent (ESA) Practice Patterns in Patients With Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia (CIA) Treated at Hospital Oncology Clinics.

Objectives: To characterize erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) usage initiated in hospital outpatient oncology centers that employ weekly (QW) and every-3-week (Q3W) ESA dosing regimens; describe the frequency of ESA dosing, transfusions, hemoglobin determinations, and anemia-related visits between these 2 regimens; and compare the rates at which inpatient ESA doses are administered on QW versus Q3W schedules.

Methods: This was a retrospective, observational record review evaluating ESA usage in 641 patients from 8 outpatient oncology clinics throughout the United States. Adult patients who initiated myelosuppressive chemotherapy for a documented solid tumor between August 1, 2007 and June 30, 2009 and received their first 3 consecutive outpatient ESA doses on a QW or Q3W schedule were eligible for study inclusion.

Efficiency of U.S. dialysis centers: an updated examination of facility characteristics that influence production of dialysis treatments.

Objective: To explore the relative efficiency of dialysis facilities in the United States and identify factors that are associated with efficiency in the production of dialysis treatments.

Data Sources/study Setting: Medicare cost report data from 4,343 free-standing dialysis facilities in the United States that offered in-center hemodialysis in 2010.

Study Design: A cross-sectional, facility-level retrospective database analysis, utilizing data envelopment analysis (DEA) to estimate facility efficiency.

High Costs of Dialysis Transportation in the United States: Exploring Approaches to a More Cost-effective Delivery System.

The costs of transporting end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients to dialysis centers are high and growing rapidly. Research has suggested that substantial cost savings could be achieved if medically appropriate transport was made available and covered by Medicare. To estimate US dialysis transportation costs from a purchaser's perspective, and to estimate cost savings that could be achieved if less expensive means of transport were utilized.

Clinical factors and the decision to transfuse chronic dialysis patients.

Background And Objectives: Red blood cell transfusion was previously the principle therapy for anemia in CKD but became less prevalent after the introduction of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents. This study used adaptive choice-based conjoint analysis to identify preferences and predictors of transfusion decision-making in CKD.

Design, Setting, Participants, & Measurements: A computerized adaptive choice-based conjoint survey was administered between June and August of 2012 to nephrologists, internists, and hospitalists listed in the American Medical Association Masterfile.

Synchronization of administrations of chemotherapy and erythropoiesis-stimulating agents and frequency of associated healthcare visits.

Purpose: The erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), darbepoetin alfa (DA), and epoetin alfa (EA) differ with respect to dosing schedule in chemotherapy-induced anemia. DA can be administered less frequently than EA, which may increase synchronicity between chemotherapy and ESA schedules. This study compared DA and EA with respect to frequency of synchronization and frequencies of total and ESA healthcare visits in current clinical practice.

Staff time and motion assessment for administration of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents: a two-phase pilot study in clinical oncology practices.

Background: Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are used for the management of anaemia in patients with non-myeloid malignancies where anaemia is due to the effect of concomitant myelosuppressive chemotherapy. Assessing the impact of different ESA dosing regimens on office staff time and projected labour costs is an important component of understanding the potential for optimization of oncology practice efficiencies.

Objectives: A two-phase study was conducted to evaluate staff time and labour costs directly associated with ESA administration in real-world oncology practice settings among cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

The burden of blood transfusion: a utilization and economic analysis--a pilot study in patients with chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA).

Objective: The objective is to measure the burden of blood transfusion of Packed Red Blood Cells (PRBCs) in patients with chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA) on the institutional outpatient transfusion center.

Methods: This is a retrospective chart review (starting July 1, 2010, working backwards until 120 evaluable patients are accrued) at a single institutional transfusion center in the US. The mean and standard deviation (SD) were calculated for patient's age, pre-transfusion Hgb level, and other transfusion-related activities.

A retrospective study to evaluate the time burden associated with outpatient red blood transfusions indicated for anemia due to concomitantly administered chemotherapy in cancer patients.

Purpose: Anemia in cancer patients can be treated with red blood cell (RBC) transfusions. The patient burden associated with a treatment in terms of total time spent is an important factor to consider when measuring the benefits and challenges of a therapy. This study estimates the time-related patient burden associated with outpatient RBC transfusion.